PopHorror Let's Get Scared
I’ve been keeping my eye on the upcoming horror flick, Butchers Bluff, for months now. There are so many people involved that I just love—Bill Oberst, Jr. (Circus Of The Dead 2014, 3 From Hell 2019 – read our review here), Shawn C. Phillips (13 Slays Till X-Mas 2020 – read our review here), Brinke Stevens (Slumber Party Massacre, Night Of Something Strange – read our review here, Teacher Shortage – read our review here), Paul T. Taylor (Hellraiser: Judgement 2017), Jeremy London (Party Of Five TV series, The Dinner Party 2020), and so many more—so seeing them all together in one film is just awesomeness just waiting to happen. So when the connection was made between myself and the film’s writer/director/actor, William Instone, I knew I had to pick his brain about this soon-to-be horror cult classic.
PopHorror: When did you first get bitten by the filmmaking bug?
William Instone: I’ve always loved film, but never thought I’d be able to actually make my own movies because I was a poor kid growing up in a small town in Texas in the 1990s. I learned how to write formatted scripts when I was about 18 and wrote a few really bad stories. But technology wasn’t there at the time. The internet was a thing then, and I just didn’t know what to do, so I abandoned it until 2007 when I was cast as a background actor in a film called Bandslam. After that, I really didn’t want to do anything else. So, I auditioned a lot and got a few small spots in films but wasn’t getting roles I really liked playing, so I wrote myself the part I wanted. Digital cameras were now high quality and affordable, so I made my first feature film, Jon, in 2010 with 4000 and a 3 person crew.
PopHorror: I read about Jon, and I’m pretty excited to get ahold of it. Have you always been a horror fan? Tell me about your first horror movie experience.
William Instone: I’ve loved horror for as long as I can remember. One of my first memories of going to a movie theater was seeing the original Nightmare on Elm Street. It scared the hell out of me, but I loved it. I’ve been hooked ever since.
PopHorror: Let’s talk about Butchers Bluff. Where did the idea for this film come from?
William Instone: Butchers Bluff evolved from 2 different stories I had… one about an obese kid that takes revenge on his bullies, and the other about a group of paranormal investigator filmmakers. That created the core idea, and then I got together with my co-writer, Renfield Rasputin, and we spent about a year flushing out the script. I love the 1980s slasher films and wanted to attempt to recapture all the elements that I loved in those movies, and in Butchers Bluff, there are definitely nods to the classics.
PopHorror: What is Butchers Bluff about?
William Instone: Butchers Bluff follows a group of college film school students that are making their thesis film about a small town folk legend that began in the ’90s with the murder of 3 boys, the disappearance from the asylum of the teen murderer, the 26 people that have gone missing from the town over the last 20 years, and the locals believing in an elusive figure that roams the woods of Butchers Bluff that they call the Hogman.
PopHorror: I am so excited to see this! What makes this film stand out from other horror films?
William Instone: I think this film will stand out for a few reasons, mostly because the Hogman is just a badass looking character. The mask is a tribute to sack head Jason and Leatherface and really looks good on screen. Secondly, I believe we have a good story. A lot of badass slasher films are awesome but lack a real story; they’re all about the body count. We tried to combine both. We have a large body count and interesting story that I hope people will enjoy.
PopHorror: How far along in the process are you?
William Instone: We are just about finished with shooting. Only a few small scenes left, and then its the long process of post-production.
PopHorror: You can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel! What was it like working with the cast and crew?
William Instone: It was an awesome experience working with the cast and crew we had on this. We had a very small crew—never more than 7 people on any given shoot day. Everyone worked multiple jobs and went above and beyond for this project, and I am forever grateful for all their hard work.
The cast was great. This was the first feature film for several of them, and they brought it every day, even when conditions were far from ideal. We shot in blistering heat in August and freezing cold in October and through it all, the cast delivered. I’m very proud of them. It was awesome to finally get to work with Bill Oberst Jr. [read the PopHorror interviews with him here and here]. I’ve been a fan of his acting for a long time, and he was just amazing. He is a gem to the indie film world. Jeremy London gives an awesome performance as a douche character that he owned. Paul T. Taylor [read the Pophorror interview with him here], Brinke Stevens, LC Holt… they were all great to work with.
PopHorror: Do you have any behind-the-scenes stories?
William Instone: One of the BTS moments that stands out is shooting our last night with Jeremy London. It was a night shoot in November. Weather was really nice out; we were knocking scenes out. We get to the final scene of the evening—an important set up that took us about an hour to get ready—and as soon as action was called, the sky opened up. We were flooded by rain. Everyone was running through the woods trying to cover up the cameras and save the lights from getting soaked and ruined. It rained for about 7 minutes hard and then stopped. Clear skies again. But everyone and everything drenched. We had to call it a night and to the last shot in a pick up another day. It was crazy.
Then there was an August day shooting with Paul T. Taylor, and temperatures got to 105 outside. We were shooting on the side of a country road with only out small canopies for shade. Everyone overheated. It was horrible, but the scene turned out great. Everyone delivered. The joys of low budget filmmaking.
PopHorror: (laughs) Oh, for sure! When can we expect to see Butchers Bluff?
William Instone: I’m really hoping for a Halloween 2021 release.
PopHorror: If you could work with anyone in the industry, alive or dead, who would it be and why?
William Instone: If I could work with anyone in the business alive or dead? That’s a great question… Living, I’d have to say Rodger Deakins. That guy is an amazing cinematographer that makes every project he is a part of better. Dead, probably go with Stanley Kubrick. I’d love to learn the craft of filmmaking from him. He was a master.
PopHorror: What’s your most influential horror movie?
William Instone: My most influential horror movie has to be a tie… and they aren’t my favorite horror movie but definitely inspirational because of how they were made and what they did for the genre. So Texas Chain Saw Massacre—I’m a Texan, so duh l(laughs)—and Halloween. I’m more of Jason fan, but those two films really set the standard for everything else that came after.
PopHorror: What do you do when you’re not making movies?
William Instone: When I’m not making movies, I’m either in the gym lifting weights as a therapy or at my Jeet Kune Do school practicing Martial Arts. I’ve been in love with JKD since I was 15-years-old. I also enjoy writing songs and play guitar. I am a failed musician that still has the love for the art.
PopHorror: Last question: What was your favorite candy to get on Halloween?
William Instone: I may be in the minority here but I loved tootsie rolls at Halloween. I’d trade my brothers at Halloween to get as many as I could.
Thank you, William, for taking the time to chat with us. Keep your channel turned to PopHorror for more news about Butchers Bluff!
